The future of the Menominee Indian Tribe — which has been beset by high rates of mortality, unemployment, poverty, binge drinking, teenage births and obesity — rests at the site of a shuttered dog track nearly 200 miles from its reservation in Keshena, Wis.

That's where the tribe wants to build an $800 million casino complex that officials say would greatly improve the quality of life for families living at the cash-poor reservation. But while the plan for a sparkling new casino was approved by the federal government one year ago, the project remains mired in uncertainty. Gov. Scott Walker, who has the final say on whether the project will proceed, could wait until after his November re-election bid to issue a decision — which has frustrated Menominee tribal leaders.

"The longer (Walker) takes, the more hardship our people go through," said James Reiter, general manager of the Menominee Casino in Keshena. "We're talking about hope. Giving people hope for a better future."

Meanwhile, Indian gaming continues to be a steady industry in Wisconsin. About two dozen licensed casinos generate more than $1 billion annually for the state's tribes.

Cullen Werwie, liaison for the state Department of Administration, said Walker is relying on Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch to "conduct an independent financial and economic analysis" of the proposed casino. Werwie did not say when a decision is expected, and Walker did not comment for this story.

A woman gambles at the casino on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wis.(Photo: Dan Young, Gannett Wisconsin Media)

Walker, who has the final authority to approve or deny the tribe's casino application, initially had a year to make a decision. But in April, he announced the deadline was extended until Feb. 19, which allowed him to campaign without the expansion of Indian gambling being an issue.

Walker has not given any indication which way he is leaning or when he will decide.

Walker's opponent, Democrat Mary Burke, did not say whether she would approve the proposal if she is elected governor.

With the election now less than three months away, a decision from Walker probably would not influence the outcome, said Charles Franklin, professor of law and public policy and director of polling at Marquette Law School.

"I don't know that there is an absolute clear winning decision for the governor either way," Franklin said. "It's obviously a very complicated decision with lots of interest on both sides."

Gary Besaw, a tribal legislator with the Menominee and chairman of the Menominee's effort to build a casino in Kenosha, said a new casino could pump more than $600 million into the tribal budget in 10 years.

"Every day we've been waiting is another hip transplant that someone could have received," Besaw said. "It is another child who could have received schooling or another person who could have been provided a job.

"That's what bothers me."

Living in poverty

On the Menominee Indian Reservation, children ride bicycles and play football in the fields. Small, modest homes with well-kept yards line the streets. A sign at the community college announces fall classes that are about to begin.

Menominee legislator Gary Besaw heads the tribe's efforts to get a new casino built in Kenosha, Wis.(Photo: Dan Young, Gannett Wisconsin Media)

But beneath the surface, life for nearly 4,500 tribal members who live on the reservation, which encompasses all but about 1 percent of Menominee County, is hard.

In 2013, the poverty rate of the Menominee — at 23.2 percent — was higher than the nationwide poverty rate at the peak of the Great Depression, which was 21.7 percent. Statewide in 2013, just over 12 percent of residents lived in poverty, according to Census Bureau statistics. Unemployment is twice the statewide average.

Parents of young children who want to work often find jobs, only to learn there is no day care available. Penny Escalante, director of Menominee Tribal Daycare — the only licensed day care center in the county — said most families wait up to a year before they land a spot for their child.

“'We're looking at rebuilding families, rebuilding communities. Our people continue to hurt; they continue to struggle in survivor mode. We need to take away the hurt and give them hope.'”

Jerry Waukau, Menominee tribal health administrator

Housing is also at a premium. The waiting list for one of the reservation's 333 subsidized homes is between 80 and 100 families deep; many on the list are tribal elders who moved away but want to spend their last years on the reservation they still call home. Between two and six homes open up each month, but many need extensive renovations to be brought up to code — renovations for which there are no available funds.

"It isn't like we get money and don't do good things with it," said Shane Dixon, director of the Menominee Tribal Housing Authority. "Everything we do, we do for our people."

Tribal officials say a portion of the projected income from the new casino would fund critical medical, dental and community health services, all of which are in short supply. Jerry Waukau, Menominee tribal health administrator, said the chronically underfunded Menominee Tribal Clinic can only meet about 60 percent of the needs of the estimated 9,000 people the clinic serves. Six of 10 patients seeking dental services are turned away.

Waukau said improving behavioral health programs is crucial to the tribe, which has a suicide rate nearly three times the state average. But he admits the journey to wellness has its challenges, the first of which is finding enough money to pay doctors, psychiatrists and other specialists to aid in the fight.

"We're looking at rebuilding families, rebuilding communities," Waukau said. "Our people continue to hurt; they continue to struggle in survivor mode. We need to take away the hurt and give them hope."

The needs of the whole

Indian gaming has already transformed lives on the reservation. Before the Keshena facility opened in 1987, portions of the reservation were without electricity and indoor plumbing. Tribal officials used the revenue to improve the infrastructure of the reservation and to improve life for its members.

The Menominee Resort Casino in Keshena, Wis., has been unable to provide enough income to keep up with the needs of the Menominee people.(Photo: Dan Young, Gannett Wisconsin Media)

But increased competition from the state's 11 tribes, combined with the effects of the recession, resulted in dwindling profits for the aging Menomimee Casino Resort. A massive reconstruction plan designed in 2007, which originally included a waterpark and golf course, was nixed in favor of a scaled-down $8 million restoration project with upgraded amenities but the same number of slot machines.

But the ongoing project at Keshena pales in comparison to the tribe's grand plan for the shuttered Dairyland Greyhound Park.

The Kenosha plan calls for a series of phases, that upon completion, will include 3,100 slot machines, 75 blackjack tables, a 5,000-square-foot entertainment venue, a 400-room hotel, a conference center and nearly 50,000 square feet of retail space.

The Menominee said any new gambling revenue will be spent on rebuilding and reinforcing the infrastructure of the reservation, while the other half will go to human services programs.

"If I had one thing to say to the governor, it's to hurry and please say yes," Besaw said. "We can't afford to wait much longer."